My Heart's Descent
by lionessXofXdreams
Summary: The members of the Organization are, well, flabbergasted at their newest member. Not only is she NOT brought in as No. XIII as she should have been, but she also isn't very Nobody-like. One would almost say she's still alive. In fact, most of the Organization argues that she IS still alive. Who is she? WHAT is she? And what connection does she have with Kingdom Hearts?
1. Life

**A/N: Hello everyone! While this is not my first fanfic, it is my first published fanfic, and I'm excited yet terrified of your responses. Regardless, I want reviews, please and thank you. **

**Because Kingdom Hearts is such a big part of my life, I decided that it should take the honor of having the title of "First Published Fanfic." And I've been designing this OC for years. It's great to finally see her in fruition. **

**The inspiration for the title of this fic is from the Kingdom Hearts theme "My Heart's Descent" which is basically a newer version of the "End of the World" theme. I highly recommend you listen to it while reading this, it really sets the mood. You could listen to "End of the World" while reading this as well. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I have the sole rights to my OC and ****only**** my OC. KH and everything therein is not mine. Duh.**

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1\. Life

Her life had come to an end. She no longer had a heart. She was technically dead. An empty shell. A reminder of what she had been.

Her name had been Dezareé. She had long brown hair, indigo eyes, and a fiery temperament. She was from Andaluxia, a place of light. Light had been etched into her very being, marked by an angel even at a young age.

She was a creature of darkness. She had no fear of it. It was her friend, ally, comrade in arms, just as the light was. It was why she had been so powerful, having both light and darkness. It was a balance that allowed her to be in control of both.

But that was all changed now, except maybe her physical features.

When she came to, she was on a shore. The smell of the ocean was comforting. But it was dark, where she was. The only light was distant glow that lit up the cragged rock figures so that one could just see they were there. But she wasn't human. The light was enough for her to see each and every detail of those rocks.

She stood. The sand beneath her feet was rough and coarse, but felt nice against her feet. She walked forward until the cold water of the ocean came to her ankles, lapping gently. The water was refreshing in its chill. She sighed and stared into the distant glow, letting her mind wander. She wondered where she was, and realized that she was in the realm of darkness.

She was comfortable, but not content. She wasn't anything. She could remember how to feel, but couldn't feel. It would've been irritating if she could feel irritated.

The sound of the deeper darkness opening called her attention. She looked to the source on her left. A cloaked figure emerged from the darkness. The only discernible features were the details of the cloak and that the figure was a man as the cloak clinged to the torso. The hood shrouded the face completely. His shoulders and chest were broad and he stood tall.

He stopped when he noticed her presence. They stared. She could feel his gaze: it was heavy and intense. She could tell he was contemplative, watching to see what she would do, just as she was to him.

She suspected he frequented this place. Her being here was probably strange. Maybe he came to meet someone, maybe to be alone.

Finished with her analysis, she turned to watch the glow once more. Only a moment later, she heard footfall on the sand as the man continued forward behind her. He came to sit on a rock figure; she could hear that much.

They watched the glow together for what seemed a long time.

Finally, without turning, she spoke.

"Do you dwell here?"

The man answered with silence. She could feel his stare once again, and turned to look at him.

"What are you?" she asked, staring directly into the darkness of the hood. She asked this because, while he had a full stare, his presence was empty. Like the way she felt. It had a certain darkness to it, but it was hollow. There was a faint flutter of a heart, but that, too, was hollow. She had this as well, though her heart was different from his.

The man didn't answer. So, she changed her tactic.

"Who are you?" she asked. And waited. She sensed that he would answer this time. After a long, thoughtful moment, he answered in a deep timbre.

"A better question is: who are you?"

She stared at him for a moment, then smiled a wry smile, "You're right. Who am I? I'm not the person I once was. Tell me, do you know where my heart is?" She knew _exactly_ where her heart was. But he didn't need to know as such.

Slowly, the man shook his head.

"I was once a person named Dezareé, that much I know. I don't know anything else. Except where I am, of course. Do you remember who you were?"

She got her expected answer: Silence.

She sighed. "I thought as much.," The silence was not awkward. How could it be, when neither had hearts to _feel_ such a thing? Comfort had become a concept that was foreign to them. Silence was now a state of being in which they both participated.

The girl stood in the water while it lapped at her ankles and the cloaked man sat watching the glow.

She could feel his eyes watching her. He was probably noticing how different she was from himself. She could tell that she was the same as him in the fact that they were both missing something vital to being alive. But her species was different from his entirely.

Her thoughts shifted to her location. She knew where she was, but she didn't know how long she had been there before awakening. There was also the issue of how she appeared in the Dark Margin in the first place. She should have awoken in her own world, or in a world that acted as a safeguard for those that have lost their worlds. She didn't understand why the darkness would bring her—wait, yes she did. Her proof was sitting behind her.

A thought came to her out of the blue. "I wonder if I'll stay here forever," she mused quietly, but not quietly enough that the cloaked man couldn't hear. She knew she was opening up an opportunity for him, and she knew he would take it.

"Not if you come with me," he said.

She turned to look at him, expression incredulous, though she knew he would take the bait.

He stood and held out a hand toward her.

"Come. I can give you purpose," he said and she narrowed her eyes.

"I like the sound of that: purpose. But what purpose will you give me?"

"You will fight, and offer your strength toward the completion of Kingdom Hearts,"

"Fight," she murmured. "I did a lot of that while I was alive," she trailed off, looking to the glow at the edge of the horizon. Her eyes met the darkness of his hood once more.

"I will go with you, but I have conditions," she said, and the man nodded for her to continue. "I won't kill humans. Or harm them. You're not allowed to come up with loopholes either," she said, and she could almost feel him smirking, "And I need freedom to do what I want and when I want. I'll do assignments, but I need leisure time to myself to do whatever I please. I will not interfere with your plans if you do not interfere with mine. And before I continue, I must let you know that I am not a human's Nobody. I am something else ent—"

"I am well aware of what you are," the cloaked man said in his deep timbre.

She looked mildly surprised at him for a moment. "Oh. Well in that case, no one can know what I am until they are ready to know. Do we have a deal?"

"What makes you think you are in a position to make any demands?" he asked her in a challenging tone.

The girl smirked. "Your desire to have me on your team is so strong it's nearly tangible. I can feel it from here,"

At that, the man laughed a deep, throaty chuckle. "Very well," he said as he approached her. She turned to face him.

"You who has lost your heart, shall be given a new name," he said as he waved his hand in front of her. Her former name appeared in glowing letters, surprising her. He waved his hand again and the letters spun around her in a blinding flurry. Suddenly, the man moved his hand in a pressing motion toward the flurry and an X appeared in between the letters of her name.

She read it backwards: Eredexza. That was her new name. She liked it. It was probably the best sounding name that could be possibly made with the letters given.

"And you will be Number zero among us," said the man.

"Number zero? How many of you are there?" she asked as her name faded into the darkness.

"Twelve. Now, thirteen," he said.

She tilted her head to the side. _Why zero and not thirteen?_

So she was an official member now. She didn't know what to think about that.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"My name is of no importance," he said as he began to turn away, expecting her to follow.

"Liar," she said softly and he froze. She walked toward him slowly and he inclined to face her. "What is your name?" she repeated.

There was a long pause before the man lifted his arms to his hood and slowly pulled it down. What she saw, surprised her: he was incredibly handsome. Gorgeous, even. And also incredibly young. He was still a full-grown man, of course, but his physical age couldn't be any older than twenty-seven. He had darkly tanned skin, long silver hair, amber eyes and full lips. His face was angular and sharp and masculine. She could see his pointed ears behind his hair. And that _voice_? It was a wonder he was still single.

She almost laughed at herself. It was such a Somebody thing to think.

"My name is Xemnas," he finally said.

_Xemnas_. She liked it. It was powerful, yet, eloquent. She doubted it had an actual meaning for it was probably an anagram from a different name, much like Eredexza was an anagram for Dezareé.

She smiled a small at him, but he only stared, completely stoic and emotionless. She didn't let her smile drop. He motioned his head to follow him before he turned and manifested the darkness. It opened in a smoking oval like a three-dimensional ovular doorway.

And he walked through with his newest member, No. 0, Eredexza, trailing behind him like the darkness he had opened.

**I know most of you don't read the A/N's, but whatever. I hope you liked this chapter. I have no idea when the next one is coming out, but I will work on getting a set schedule in the works. **

**Till next time!**


	2. The Castle

**A/N So, here is chapter 2. . . FINALLY. Took me forever to write this. And for future reference, Eredexza is pronounced how it is spelled: Eh-reh-dex-sah. The "z" sound naturally turns into an "s" sound behind the "x." No worries, she _will_ be given an nickname.**

**I highly recommend listening to "Sacred Moon" from the KH soundtrack to help set the mood while reading this. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

****Disclaimer: I have the sole rights to my OC and ****only**** my OC. KH and everything therein is not mine. Duh.****

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2\. The Castle

The Darkness of the Realm was twitchy. It was excited and reeling with energy. The more Eredexza studied it, the more she realized it was because it was reacting to her own dark energy. It was strange. The darkness didn't usually react to her as such. She wondered if it was because she no longer had a heart. Her own Darkness was restless and it kept waiting for her to command it to do something. But she didn't know what she wanted it to do. While she was alive, she always wanted it with her, to act as a seventh sense.

But if she wished to merge with it again, it might set off her inner demon without a heart to control it. Briefly, she wondered if her inner demon was still there. She check— Yes, it was there. It was most definitely there. And without a heart to control it, keeping it back was going to be harder than ever. Now that she was focusing on it, her inner demon was roiling inside her. She focused on clamping it down before her new superior noticed a spike in dark energy.

She couldn't tell if he did or not. He just kept walking.

Finally, they arrived at the end of their path and walked through the opened portal.

It was a grand hallway. The walls were lined with columns and the ceiling was magnanimously high and it was entirely white. There were some intricate designs along the walls and floor. She didn't have much time before Xemnas led her down the hall and to stairs that were on the outside walls of a giant castle.

"What is this place called?" she asked as she observed her surroundings.

"This is Naught's Approach of the Castle That Never Was," he answered without turning around. Eredexza raised a brow skeptically. Those were kind of depressing names. But then, she was walking through a castle that wasn't supposed to exist. The whole idea of the place was kind of depressing.

Xemnas led her through a series of rooms, most of them grand with great open spaces and lots of strange columns.

Finally they came to a stop. It was a foyer of some some sort. It was a vast room with a wide expanse of window behind an intricately designed hanging podium box, letting the light of the heart-shaped moon light the room. The platform on ground level was held by two walkways over a great void, abyss, chasm, whatever one wished to call it. All she knew was that it was deep and dark.

"The Hall of Empty Melodies," Xemnas answered her growing curiosity. She frowned at the gloomy name, but otherwise didn't respond.

Another figure approached them from the hall of the other walkway wearing the same cloak as the Superior. He was more slender than Xemnas, and looked older with an eye patch over his right eye, a large scar trailing up his left cheek and a more weathered complexion. His only visible eye was a bright yellow, his ears were pointed and his long black hair was tied back low and had gray along the top of his head.

"Xigbar," Xemnas started, "We have a new member among our ranks." His deep voice reverberated across the hall.

"I can see that," the Nobody she figured was named "Xigbar" responded flippantly. She watched as he approached, his good eye trailed over her apparel: a small, wrinkled t-shirt that hung loosely from her frame, elastic short-shorts, bare feet, wildly waving hair, and vibrant, dark-blue eyes. His eye remained on hers for a moment, a smirk etched on his face, but a contemplative, almost friendly one. "So, we finally have our thirteenth member?" he asked, looking back to his superior.

"Not exactly," Xemnas replied. Xigbar's eyebrows quirked and his smirk almost turned into a grimace of confusion. "She will not be Number Thirteen as she is different from a true Nobody. Instead, she will be Number Zero among us."

"Number Zero, huh? Why not just make her Number Negative-One while we're at it?" Xigbar joked and Xemnas raised a brow and leveled his stare. Xigbar just chuckled. "Whatever. It's up to you anyway. What did you name her?" His eye glanced back at her, who seemed to be docilely listening to their conversation, her eyes traveling back and forth between the two men.

"Her name is Eredexza."

At this, Xigbar started laughing. "How in the world did you come up with that?" He said between chuckles. "What kinda name did you have before he found you?" He teased her, before patting her head. "You need a nickname. No worries, though, I've got ya covered."

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. He seemed incredibly friendly for someone without a heart. Or maybe he was compensating. She looked to Xemnas to see if that was normal. He was watching her curiously, so she assumed that this was normal behavior, considering he didn't pay it any mind.

"I will take her to her quarters. Get her a cloak and meet me there," Xemnas commanded.

"Sure, sure." Xigbar summoned a Dark Corridor around him and disappeared with the darkness.

"Come," Xemnas ordered and turned to continue the way they had been going. Eredexza followed him down the many corridors until they finally came to a wide, curved hallway with a long set of doors. Xemnas led her down the corridor to one of the last two doors of fifteen that she counted. Xemnas opened the door and stepped aside to let her enter.

It was a decently sized room, bright white labeled with the trademark designs of the castle along the walls. The bed had the Nobody insignia at the head with an all-white bedspread facing the one large window that looked out over the side of the hovering castle. From where she was standing, she could make out the bottom tip of the heart-shaped moon. Off to the side was a closet, a small one by the looks of it, but there was no washroom.

She looked to Xemnas who had just stepped in and stood to the side of the open doorway. She nodded her consent and he nodded his acknowledgement. Not a moment later, Xigbar arrived with a cloak in one hand, boots in the other. He tossed the cloak to her and she caught it easily.

"That should fit you. You're about Larxene's size, maybe a little bigger." He set the heeled boots down by the end of her bed. Eredexza vaguely wondered who Larxene was, and held up the cloak by the shoulders to inspect it. From the bottom came other pieces to the cloak. She glanced at them before looking at the outer garment. It looked like what the other two wore, but had a feminine cut and lines.

"Thank you," she said, eyes shifting between the two men.

"Oh," Xigbar drawled out. "Vocal already? You really _are_ different, aren't you?" He said, smirking.

A smirk of her own found its way to her lips. "I'm guessing _normal_ Nobodies have little to say when they're newly made." She hung her cloak over her arm.

Xigbar started sniggering, but Xemnas spoke first. "Most new Nobodies are not fully formed beings. We elite few do not have much to say upon awakening."

Xigbar chuckled twice. "Which either means two things: One, that you were awake for a while before Xemnas found you, or your memories found you a lot faster than normal. Considering the fact that Xemnas wanted you as Number Zero, I'm guessing it's the latter of the two." He looked over to Xemnas who nodded, then turned to address Xigbar.

"Tell Saïx to send the members to the Round Room after they get back from their missions. We will introduce her to them there." Xemnas turned to her. "Get cleaned up and dressed. I'll send Saïx to get you when you're finished."

With that, he turned and left. She heard the Dark Corridor opening and closing, signaling his departure.

"The washroom is down the hall a bit and to your right. You can't miss it." Xigbar regarded her now with a severity that was almost chilling. He didn't smile; he almost glared, almost as if he were intent on figuring out who or what she was. It only lasted a moment before he walked away and down the hall in the opposite direction of where he pointed, back the way she had come.

She frowned at where he had just stood. It seemed Nobodies were more capable of expressing emotion that she thought. Whether or not those emotions were there was irrelevant. They could obviously remember which facial muscles expressed which emotion if Xigbar was anything to go by.

She sighed and gathered the garments that fell to the floor and reached for her boots to go to the washroom as she was instructed. She closed her door behind her and headed down the hall and sure enough, there was the washroom. It was labeled with the "Woman" sign, but it made her smirk: the shape of the woman was covered in an Organization's cloak. She sniggered once and pushed the door open.

It was fairly small. There was only one toilet, sink and shower-bath. Towels were stacked on the shelves, and like the rest of the castle, it was sterile white, trademark designs lining the walls. She dumped her new clothes on the counter-top of the sink and went to discover the shower. She pulled back the curtain to discover it was still a little damp.

It wasn't that hard to figure it out: the knobs were straightforward and Eredexza was intelligent. Once the room was steamy enough, she stripped and stepped in to bathe.

After a thorough cleaning, she stopped the water and stepped out to dry and clothe herself. Xigbar was right about being "bigger" than this Larxene girl. They obviously hadn't been expecting a new member, let alone a female one, so it was logical to assume that the undergarments were the other girl's. And they were tight. Her hips just about the same size, but her bottom was definitely bigger. And the sports bra, while it was secure, compressed her bustier chest that made it almost uncomfortable to breathe. The rest of the clothes fit perfectly: the leggings hugged and stretched around her toned legs and stopped just above her ankles. The cloak fit snuggly to her curves, flaring loosely where her hips started and clinging to her fit arms. The boots were just her size, too: the two inches of thick heels added to her just-above-average height.

She dried her hair as best she could before brushing it out. When she was done, she shook her fingers through the roots to allow more air between her layers of hair so that it would dry faster.

Finally, she was done. She hung the towels up to dry before stepping outside and closing the door. Waiting, leaning against the wall by the door was a man she assumed was Saïx. He was pretty tall, more slender than Xemnas, but bulkier than Xigbar, with long, light blue hair, pierced pointed ears, piercing amber-golden eyes, and an X-shaped scar right, smack between his eyes. He was incredibly handsome with strong, angular features and a quiet intensity.

He stood up straight, letting his arms fall to his sides. They studied each other for a moment, eyes measuring up the other.

Finally, Saïx opened his mouth to speak. "Follow me." His voice was deep and almost gravelly; not like Xemnas's timbre, it was gruffer, harsh. Before she could respond, he turned and walked away, expecting her to follow. She almost didn't, just to see what he would do, but decided against it. For now, she would play along.

Saïx led her through the castle. Some of the areas she recognized, most of them she didn't. She saw some of the more intimate parts of the castle, like the kitchen and dining hall, the library, some of the other washrooms. Even a door to a laboratory. She wondered what they could be studying, but then decided that she probably didn't want to know.

She was surprised by how long it took to get where they needed to be. By the time they stopped in front of a grand doorway, her hair was entirely dry.

Saïx turned and stared at her gravely. "Stay here until you are called," he ordered and turned to walk through the doors. Eredexza narrowed her eyes at his back speculatively. She decided to assume that whenever he stared at her gravely, it was just Saïx being Saïx and it was a major part of his personality.

And so he disappeared and she was left alone in a big white room with a set of big white doors. Two strange looking creatures she assumed were lesser Nobodies passed by her. Their movements were almost like struts or sashays, and she was surprised by how humanoid they looked, though she knew she shouldn't have been. The Nobodies walked on as though she weren't there, not even giving her a perfunctory glance. She guessed she was already a part of the group if the lesser ones didn't pay her any mind.

Then it was quiet and still. She sighed and leaned against the wall next to the doors and waited to be called, probably by Xemnas. She didn't see any of the others calling for her as one, Xemnas was the leader, and two, the other two probably didn't have enough authority to do so in the first place.

After what seemed like forever, though it was only five minutes, the doors opened and she was called forth. She expected her name to be called, but it was more of a calling to her dark nature that drew her forward. She knew that Xemnas would be the only one that could do as such.

She stood up straight and moved to face the doors, pulling her shoulders back and holding her chin level to the ground.

And then, she walked forward and into the Round Room.

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**So, there it is. Tell me if Xigbar is a little OOC, 'cause I'll be trying to get every character's characteristics right for this fanfic. Trying being the key word there. **

**I'll be trying to get a chapter out every weekend or so. I couldn't last week because of Midterms, but I should be able to get the chapters done during my free weekends. **

**Till next time!**


	3. The Ropes

****Sorry for the tardiness of this chapter.****

****Thank you to those that read and review these chapters. It is beyond greatly appreciated. ****

****Disclaimer: I have the sole rights to my OC and ****only**** my OC. KH and everything therein is not mine. Duh.****

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3\. The Ropes

Eredexza was sure that Xemnas, a man of mystery, would have liked her to put up her hood to set the mysterious mood. But she didn't care. She left her hood down and stared openly at her new workmates.

The Round Room was aptly named as it was a big, white, round room. The center of the room stood a raised platform on which No. 0 arrived, decorated with the Nobody insignia, it's tip pointing right to the tallest and obviously Xemnas's throne. The rest of the thrones, like Xemnas's, were tall and sat around the platform varying in heights, but they seemed to fall downward in height as they reached the opposite side of Xemnas, though the descent in height-order was not consecutive.

The meeting was less formal than No. 0 expected. All the members' hoods were off and she could look right to their faces. Even Xemnas hadn't bothered to put his hood up. Instead, he sat leaning to one side, smirking down at her.

"Let us welcome, Number Zero," he said, his voice reverberating through the room. And the room went still with tension. She could feel confusion in the air as the members frowned and furrowed their brows.

The newest member took the moment to study the former people sitting in the stark-white thrones.

She saw Xigbar directly to Xemnas's right in a shorter throne. On his left side, in a slightly taller throne than Xigbar's, was a man with dark black hair, styled in dreads and pulled back away from his face, a few tendrils escaping, with incredible sideburns that were thick and shaped: pointed and underlined his cheekbones, reaching for his nose. She could tell his eyes were nearly the same shade of blue of hers, though more violet. Next to him was an even bigger man in a lower throne with short, ruddy orange hair slicked back to spike behind his head, his face was squared with a strong jaw and a stern expression. His eyes were a bright, sky blue. Next to him was Saïx, looking gravely down at her. Then there was a young man, barely only twenty. He had a fresh face, sandy hair styled into a square faux hawk, loose strands draped between his eyes, which were oceanic in color. The man in the next throne was an odd mix: tall and brawny, but a pretty face, thick, layered, pink hair that came to his shoulders, and gray blue eyes. And by pretty, she meant beautiful. He was young and fresh, like Demyx, but he was older, maybe reaching his mid-twenties. The last throne on that side was empty. She assumed this throne was reserved for No. 13, and would remain empty for the time being.

Coming around on the other side, the first throne next to the empty one was occupied by the only other female in the Organization: Larxene. She was fairly pretty with bright blonde hair slicked entirely back except for two strands that stood out to form what looked, to No. 0, like antennae, with bright aquamarine eyes. She'd be prettier without the hairdo, Eredexza decided. In the next throne to Larxene's left, was an older man with a young-ish face. She would peg him at early-to-mid thirties. He had platinum blond hair, kept close to his head, keen, ice-blue eyes, several piercings in his ears, and a trimly kept van dyke facial hair.

The person in the next throne made No. 0 take pause. The young man in that throne had a subtle beauty that drew Eredexza's sharp eyes to get a better look. He reminded her of fire. He was very vibrant, both in coloring and presence, from his bright red, spiking hair to his glowing cyan-green eyes, and the way he was openly curious about her: his eyes were incredibly expressive, showing a range of emotions she didn't think were possible for a Nobody. She watched as he crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side curiously. She mirrored his action by tilting her head to see how he would respond. He just furrowed his short, angular brows and narrowed his eyes a fraction, drawing attention to the inverted tear-drop tattoos on each cheek bone under each eye. She looked over the structure of his face to find it to be angular, yet soft, with a pointed nose and chin and his cheeks rounded by youth. His eyes were sharp and quick, analyzing her every movement.

With great reluctance, she moved on to the next throne to find an incredibly young Nobody. His face was soft and youthful, still only a teen, hidden behind thick, gray-blue hair that came to his chin and covered half his face. He stared at her stoically, barely a muscle ticked in the forming of an expression of mild curiosity. Finally, between him and Xigbar was a man that gave No. 0 a shiver down her spine. He had long, dirty blond hair that was brushed back save for two front sections. His emerald green eyes leered down at her in cold, creepy, fascination. He leaned forward in eager curiosity, lips quirking up in a sinister smirk. He was a scientist. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a scientist. He would probably like a blood sample or some other sample from her. She decided that she wouldn't cooperate with him on such matters.

Her eyes shifted to the next throne where Xigbar sat. He smirked at her and winked. She smirked back, quirking an eyebrow before craning her neck to look up at Xemnas.

He smirked a satisfied grin, revealing a set of straight, pearly white teeth. For a fleeting moment, she was surprised. She wasn't sure that Xemnas could make such an expression, but rationalized that even the most emotionless could still express emotions through memory.

His grin fell to a small smirk. His look deepened as he stared down at her. He nodded ever so slightly, and she smiled genuinely.

He was dismissing her. Her "debut" was done. She could go back to her room.

She pulled the darkness around her, letting it soak into her veins, pull at her core of being, before seizing control over it and falling into the Realm of Darkness, letting it guide her away from the Round Room. But not toward her quarters. Instead, she went to one of her favorite places that she had discovered while she was alive. She still remembered the route.

Twilight Town's clock tower had been one of her favorite places ever since she found it all those years ago. It's height allowed for her to see across the town, all the way to the sea where the sun was eternally setting. It was a beautiful sight, truly. She loved the colors it produced, and because she was so high, the air was cool and crisp as the breeze whipped through her hair. She missed sitting up there, and she wondered how much had changed.

The darkness split and opened, spilling light into the realm, where it was promptly absorbed before she stepped out of the frigid darkness and into the cool air, her booted foot taking hold of the ledge of the clock tower. She expelled the last bit of the darkness from her being before closing the rift she had opened.

The view was just as beautiful as she remembered it, though without emotion, it was difficult to appreciate the view as she had when she was alive. Scanning the buildings below her she noticed that absolutely nothing had changed since she was here last. Every building was in the exact same place it had been, in the exact same condition she'd left it in. Not a cobble stone in the paved roads were cracked or turned over. The eternal sunset cast a yellow-orange light over the town, making it look as though she were seeing it through a hazy, glowing filter.

It was beautiful.

She sighed a content sigh and sat on her usual perch and watched the sun set.

The breeze was calmer that day. At times it could be strong enough to nearly push her off the building. She enjoyed it when it was calm. Well, she did when she was alive. She wasn't alive to enjoy it any longer. But the memories of enjoyment and happiness warmed her chest cavity anyway, bringing a smile to her face.

She didn't know how long she sat there gazing at the sunset, but when her haunches started getting sore, she decided it was time to go back. Sighing, she stood, taking one more deep breath of cool, clear air and one more look over the town before opening up the darkness once more. She stepped backward and fell into the darkness again, letting it envelope her. She worked her way back to the Castle, finding the route she had taken through her sixth sense. Once she found it, she searched for her quarters, using her residual energy to locate her quarters.

It wasn't too difficult. Her energy trace was distinct from everyone else's.

When she arrived, she stepped out of the darkness and pulled it away from her. After releasing the darkness back to its realm, she stood in the center of her room for a moment. Her door was closed, though she had left it open when she left, and the clothes that she had arrived in were sitting, freshly washed and folded on the edge of her bed. She doubted that any of the others did parlor work and assumed that it was probably one, or a few, of the lesser Nobodies that took care of her laundry.

Tired and drained, she moved to pick up her clothes and put it in the dresser located in her new closet. Opening the top drawer, she placed her shirt and shorts gently inside before closing it once more. She she searched the second top drawer to find under-necessities. She found three sports bras of the same design as the one she was wearing, though she supposed that the ones given to her were slightly larger in size than the one she was currently borrowing. She was given seven pairs of underwear, one for each day of the week, she supposed. All of them were black and made of the same cotton material, whereas her sports bras were dark gray, and made of a sturdy, elastic cloth. In the drawer underneath, was two sets of pajamas: loose, long white bottoms with a loose white t-shirt. The bottom two drawers were empty.

Hanging from a rod in her closet was a second cloak.

They really thought of everything, didn't they?

Eredexa went back to the drawer with the pajamas to take them out so she could change. Stripping from the cloak was a relief. The bra was even better. After having her chest compressed, it felt like she could breathe again.

When she was finished changing, she shuffled to the wall to turn off the light before shuffling back to her bed. The light from the false moon was still too bright and she wondered if there was anyway to shade it. She inspected the window frame and sill to find a button. Frowning, she pressed it. A buzzing noise sounded and the window's glass started to darken.

Fascinating.

Once the room was as dark as she could get it, she crawled into her new bed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Eredexza blinked awake. She hadn't dreamed. She always dreamed while she was alive. She supposed it was a new feature of being a Nobody. Or maybe she didn't have much to dream about yet. Either way, she was a little surprised to discover who had awoken her.

Laying on her stomach, with her sheets tangled and wrapped around her, her arm hanging off the edge, her right leg resting on top of the sheets. This was how Saïx found her. Or rather, this was how she was when she opened her eyes and found a cloaked abdomen, and it was upon looking up to search for a face did she find pretty blue hair and a pair of stern gold eyes, an X-shaped scar between them.

"Good morning," Eredexza said blandly, sitting up and yawning.

"This is the last time I come to wake you," Saïx deadpanned.

A smirk came across her features. "Aw, that's too bad. I'm gonna miss waking up to that handsome face of yours," she joked sarcastically. He didn't seem to appreciate the compliment, joking or otherwise.

"You have ten minutes to report to me in the Gray Room." And then he turned around and left, closing the door behind him. For some reason, No. 0 was left feeling that the whole scene was anticlimactic.

She sighed and dressed quickly, then headed out to where she remembered the Gray Room was. It didn't take as long as she thought it would, but then, she figured Saïx was a pragmatist and didn't over or underestimate the amount of time she needed to get ready. He probably calculated the amount of time that it took for the members to get ready in the morning and made an estimate for her.

In the Gray Room, she was met with a mish-mash gathering of members. Saïx stood at the opposite end of the room directly across from the hallway opening. Xigbar sat in one of the white couches to her left, and he was sitting across the blonde kid and the red-haired man to whom she'd been so attracted. Still attracted. He was still just as gorgeous as when she had seen him in the Round Room. On the other side was the pink haired man standing next to a couch that held Larxene.

He narrowed his eyes at her in a mild curious fashion, which was odd to No. 0, because he seemed nonchalant in the Round Room. Why the sudden curiosity?

"There you are," Xigbar announced, standing and walking over to her. The other two didn't move. She glanced them; the blond one was sort of curious, with a little tilt to his head, the redhead was openly curious, his glowing cyan-green eyes looking straight into hers. She looked away quickly to focus on Xigbar when she felt a rush of elation.

As he approached, he patted her head twice. "I figured out the perfect nickname," he said, sounding triumphant, a smirk etched onto his features.

"Oh?" she asked, brushing his hand away from her head playfully.

"That's right! From now on, you're either 'Number Zero,' or 'Dex.'"

Eredexza thought it over for a moment, then mouthed it. A smile formed on her lips. She liked it. It was easy to say and simple. And it was tough-sounding. No one will underestimate a girl named Dex.

"Alright. I like it. Dex it is."

Xigbar started chuckling before Saïx approached and interrupted. "You'll be going with Xigbar to train and learn the ground rules." _He gets right down to business, doesn't he?_ Dex thought. "You will be going to Twilight Town first, and then Agrabah. I expect you both to be done and report back in a timely fashion." He gave them both a look, then turned to go give the rest of the assignments to the others.

Xigbar snorted. "That guy is always so serious."

Dex tilted her head to the side. "Maybe it's a by-product of his memories," she suggested quietly.

"Who knows? Anyway, let's introduce you to some of the others. Most of the other members are already out on a mission, but the younger ones don't get assigned till later."

"Including you?" she teased, smirking.

"Ha ha, funny," he deadpanned. "Anyway—" he motioned to the redhead and the blonde as we approached "—this is Axel, Number Eight, and Demyx, Number Nine." The redhead and the blond respectively.

Axel was a good, strong, Scandinavian name, meaning, "my father is peace." She wondered what his living name was. As for Demyx, it was just another anagrammed name like Xigbar and Eredexza. It was kind of ironic that the one she took interest to was the only one who was given an existing name. Granted, that name was from a dimension separate from this one, but she still felt the irony.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, holding out her left hand to Axel. He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, then relaxed his posture and even smirked. The action spurred a physical reaction in Dex that included a pressure in her chest and a tingle in her spine.

He took her hand and shook it once. "You're incredibly responsive for a new Nobody," he observed. She held out her hand to Demyx and he, too, shook it once.

"Yeah. How long was it before Xemnas found you?" Demyx asked. He even sounded young.

At this Dex shrugged. She didn't know how long she was unconscious in the Dark Margin. Fortunately, Xigbar spoke up for her.

"All you need to know is that Xemnas chose her for a reason," Xigbar said cryptically, his smirk grew a little.

Axel crossed his arms skeptically. "And what reason would that be?"

Xigbar started chortling. "Isn't it obvious? She's special. Otherwise, Xemnas wouldn't have taken her in as Number Zero."

"Regardless of whether or not she's special, she has a job to do. As do you all. I suggest you get to work." Saïx cut in sternly.

"Yeah, yeah." Xigbar brushed him off and turned to Dex. "C'mon, before his panties get any more twisted." Dex snickered in amusement and tried to stop it: Saïx was giving them an exasperated look as Xigbar opened up a portal and they both walked through.

Xigbar chuckled and turned to walk backwards in front of her. "So, _Dex_," he started meaningfully.

"So, _Xigbar_." Dex mirrored his tone.

He snorted. "How _did_ the big boss find you?"

Dex tilted her head to the side. "He found me in the Dark Margin," she answered with a shrug.

"And how did you get to to the Dark Margin?" She could tell he was struggling to keep his tone light.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I woke up in the Dark Margin. Xemnas appeared in the Dark Margin not long after that. He noticed me right away, noticed that I was different and offered me a place to stay among the members of the Organization. Then he gave me a name and number. Though, why he didn't just give me Number Thirteen escapes me. Seems easier, doesn't it?"

During her little speech, Xigbar's smile faded. He stared at her seriously now. "Not necessarily," he told her. "If you're not like one of us, a true Nobody, then he wouldn't make you Number Thirteen."

Dex almost smirked. His serious tone gave away more than he intended. Xemnas was saving the Thirteenth seat for a specific someone. She could guess who it was. She held her face a neutral expression though; she didn't need Xigbar knowing how much she knew, and then giving it away to Xemnas. As far as she was concerned, Xemnas still didn't know her true motives. And that was how she needed it to be.

Xigbar's smile returned to his face. "Anyway, there's a lot that you need to learn if you're gonna roll with us for a while, which I suspect is the case." He turned around and walked normally again.

And then, the rules of the Organization flowed out of his mouth like he had been saying them for years, teaching newbies what to do and not do in the Organization.

The assignments given by Saïx are always inadvertently given by the Superior, so do them efficiently and without question. The Dark Corridor is to be used for mission transport and mission transport only. When the Superior issues a summons, answer his call and go to him. If the Superior gives a command, follow it absolutely. Completing Kingdom Hearts is the greatest priority. When defeating Heartless, always keep this in mind. Defeating the Heartless is a Nobody's greatest issue: only a keyblade can release the hearts for completing Kingdom Hearts, so a Nobody must be careful when defeating the Heartless. Some of the hearts released will be absorbed by other Heartless, and not go to Kingdom Hearts. That being said, only defeat the Heartless that have the emblem and only defeat the Pureblood Heartless if necessary. RTC means "Return to the Castle." RTC immediately after the mission is over and accomplished. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Dex wondered how he could get that many rules in the small amount of time it took to get to Twilight Town. It was kind of ridiculous. He spoke quickly, but his tone and inflection seemed easy and relaxed. She pegged it as a talent of his.

When they arrived, they arrived at the platform below the clock tower. He did a quick scope of the area with is eye, she did a quick scope of the area with her energy. There was no one around. It was safe to walk about in the open.

"So, any questions?" Xigbar asked her, turning around to look at her. His countenance was lighter than before. Dex thought about his question and wondered that herself. She was about to decline, but then she remembered something she was curious about.

"What are the other members' names? And which ones are they?" she asked.

Xigbar raised his brows. "That's it?"

Dex shrugged. "For now."

Xigbar turned around and motioned her to follow. She did, and he started describing the members in a more colorful way than she would've thought Nobodies could be.

Obviously, Xemnas was No. I, the boss. The members either called him the Superior, or just Xemnas. Xigbar seemed to be the only one to venture to call Xemnas anything else. His full title was the Superior of the In-Between. Xemnas was usually reclusive and rarely seen around the castle. He's either away or locked up in his office. Xigbar seemed tense about that subject and moved on to himself. He was No. II and his title was The Free Shooter. He was second in command and was in charge when Xemnas was away for longer periods of time. No. III was the one with the dreads, named Xaldin, The Whirlwind Lancer. He was usually charged with kitchen duty at the castle and had a surprising talent with knives and cooking. Apparently, Xaldin was an excellent cook. Why Xigbar thought it necessary to divulge this information to her, Dex didn't know. And she didn't care. She thought it was hilarious that Xigbar even thought of this kind of stuff.

After Xaldin was Vexen, No. IV, The Chilly Academic, and the creepy older blond that, as she predicted, was a scientist. He was mostly a researcher for the Organization, but he also did some field work when necessary. Dex didn't like the idea of being a subject for research and vowed to herself that she would refuse should he try to stick a needle in her arm. After Vexen was Lexaeus, the big, stern-faced, orange haired man and No. V, The Taciturn Stalwart, which Dex found funny because that literally meant the "quiet big guy." He was the physically strongest of the members besides Xemnas and didn't talk much, a fact that didn't surprise Dex in the slightest. He usually spent his time with the older members of the Organization, and sometimes chilled in the library with the next member on the list. Zexion, No. VI, The Cloaked Schemer, the youngest and the one of the members. So far, anyway. He was the one that was hiding half his face. He was usually quiet and reserved, distant even. He spoke very little and usually hung around the library reading and stuffing his head with information. Saïx, No. VII, The Luna Diviner, was pretty much always that serious, which Dex had figured already. Saïx was in charge of keeping the younger—well, newer really—members of the Organization in line. And that meant that he would be monitoring her more closely for a while than the rest of the members. She frowned at that, not really knowing what to make of it. She supposed she didn't mind being monitored, but she'd have to be more careful when escaping to the clock tower, or any other places she wished to visit in respite. She also learned to not make Saïx angry, or be around him when the moon was full. The only information that Xigbar would give her was that, "It wouldn't be pretty," and to "Stay away from him unless you want to have your face ripped off."

Dex decided to take the warnings and keep them in her mind for future investigation.

And then there was Axel, No. VIII, The Flurry of Dancing Flames. She really liked his title, and made a correlation to how expressive he seemed to be for a Nobody. Axel was kind of a troublemaker. He didn't seem to fear pissing of Saïx all that much, because he did it all the time. It was usually he and Demyx that were pulling miscellaneous little pranks around the castle to rile the other members up and Xigbar warned that she should expect something of hers missing, or the water not working or something stupid like that, with a little smirk on his face. It seemed that Xigbar actually approved of Axel's having fun with the members. Probably because otherwise, the palace would be a boring place.

After Axel was Demyx, No. IX, The Melodious Nocturne. He was the second youngest of the Nobodies, and was lazy and not very motivated, and hated doing his work. He was known amongst the Organization as being a slacker, and would often use the Dark Corridors to go anywhere but the place that he was assigned to relax and avoid work. He was actually a capable fighter when he tried to be, and he and Saïx didn't really get along all that well. Dex could figure why. No. X, The Gambler of Fate, was Luxord, the cropped blonde with the beard and the piercings. He chose to chill with the older ones of the Organization, and usually instigated a game of cards that usually led to copious amounts of gambling, and yes, alcohol. Next was Marluxia, No. XI, The Graceful Assassin, the one with the pink hair. He was the quiet, conniving type. Despite his affinity for flowers, he was actually quite masculine. Dex's lips quirked into a smirk at that seemingly unnecessary bit of information.

And finally, Larxene, No. XII, The Savage Nymph. Xigbar was on the verge of laughter while describing her. In essence, she was a bitch. Plain and simple. She didn't like any of the members and made it painstakingly obvious. She was openly rude and disparaging, and made snide and biting comments to all of the members. No one really paid her any mind, but that seemed to only rile her up more. She typically hung out with Marluxia off duty, and sometimes Axel. But sometimes he irritated her on purpose just to get a rise from her and a blood bath followed that usually had some part of the castle in need of repair.

Dex actually chuckled at that. She could practically picture a smirking Axel running away from a furious Larxene. And then Demyx hiding behind one of the walls, them passing the dining hall, running through it as the older members were playing cards and effortlessly ignoring the younger member's shenanigans. Then Saïx coming in and effectively ending the chase.

For some reason, the picture in her head reflected a sense of familiality, not camaraderie between coworkers. It reminded her of her past family, something she shut down before unwanted physiological reactions occurred.

Working with Xigbar was pretty easy. He had a nice flow to his movements when fighting, but it didn't resonate with her. It was something she always looked for in a fighting partner. She needed someone to match her rhythm, to syncopate with her movements. She hadn't found one yet, but she knew she would. It was one of her life's few certainties.

Thinking over it again, now that she no longer had a life, did that mean that she was never to find anyone that resonated with her? If she was no longer alive to resonate then she would be stuck in this limbo of existence. She was okay with that. She no longer had a heart to feel disappointment anyway.

When they reached a place called Agrabah, the only thing Dex could think was: hot. It was a desert city, resembling the Arabian cities of old. Sand was everywhere. She hated desert sand: she much preferred beach sand as it was much less coarse.

Xigbar still had a few things to teach her, and he prattled away indifferently as she barely listened. When the time came to fight heartless, she noticed the heartless adapted to match their environment. Fascinating.

Fortunately, they finished their mission in Agrabah faster than they had in Twilight Town. It wasn't a particularly difficult mission and she suspected this was because she was a newbie and they didn't want to overwhelm her. She tried not take offense, knowing that she was perfectly capable of handling any mission that the Organization threw her way. They didn't know that yet. She was sure that they would eventually. She wasn't necessarily subtle.

Xigbar led her through the Dark Corridor and back to the Castle. He had finished everything that he needed to say, and after a day of missions, his energy was lower and so he was quiet. She didn't mind. She almost preferred it over his endless prattling about rules and regulations.

She preferred to think of them as guidelines anyway.

Before they reached the corridor, Xigbar stopped her, putting his hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked at him curiously. He was staring down at her seriously.

"You have the ability of light," he said. She frowned, not understanding. She knew what that meant for her and her people, but she was unsure what it meant to him and the Organization. "You can send hearts to Kingdom Hearts," he clarified.

Her stomach plummeted as her eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know he would pick up on that. That wasn't light thing, that was a Dezareé thing. She'd always had an affinity with hearts. It was her gift, her talent.

He grinned. "I won't tell anyone but the big boss. I don't know how long you intend to keep it secret. The big boss might already know. But I'll keep quiet." Dex sighed in relief. Xigbar chuckled at her expression and opened the darkness.

They stepped through the opening in the darkness and into the Gray Room to find Saïx waiting for them, his clipboard held in his left hand.

"You finished quickly," Saïx said, a hint of suspicion in his voice. He lifted his arm to look at his clipboard and proceed to write something down with a pen Dex hadn't noticed.

"Yeah, our Number-Zero here is pretty talented with that chain of hers," Xigbar said with a smirk as he ruffled her hair. She brushed his hand away with a roll of her eyes and ran fingers through her hair to detangle it. Saïx eyed her speculatively: his eyes narrowed as they scanned her face. She assumed he was smart enough to figure that her chain was her weapon, because he didn't question it.

Xigbar chuckled again. "Just wait till you get a chance to fight with her. Quite the talented little thing." Dex narrowed her eyes and frowned. _Little?_

Xigbar seemed more suspicious of her than ever, having discovered her talent. She could tell by the searching glint in his eye that was masked by his amusement. But he made it clear that he wouldn't say anything.

"That remains to be seen." Saïx dropped his arms, still glaring at her in scrutiny. "Remember to set the alarm to O-eight-hundred hours. Tardiness will not go undisciplined."

Dex smirked in amusement. "You made that pretty clear this morning," she said, crossing her arms.

Saïx nodded once and the both of them were dismissed. Xigbar made his way to the kitchen. And Dex made her way to her room, though she never got that far. She paused, sensing a few presences. She recognized their energy traces: it was Demyx and Axel. Warily, she let them "sneak" up behind her, and grab her by covering her mouth and taking her around her waist, pulling her into the darkness. Despite knowing they were coming, the sudden pull backwards still ripped a gasp from her lips as she suddenly lost her sight.

She didn't put up much of a fight, and as a reward, the boys let her go immediately. Someone turned on a light. There were only three other members in the . . . . closet? It was a small room lit by a single bulb dangling from the center of room. Shelves lined the walls of the room, littered with what looked like cleaning supplies as well as other supplies for. . . She didn't even know.

Sitting around a little round table, was Xigbar and Demyx. Axel stood to Demyx's left, arms crossed, an amused light in his eyes. Demyx looked eager, and Xigbar smirked at her from the other side of the table as Demyx.

"Umm. . ." Dex trailed off, not sure what to make of the situation.

Axel chuckled. "Welcome to initiation. . ."

****XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX****

**So, not the most interesting of chapters, I admit. But at least it's there and I got all the boring exposition out of the way. **

**Initiation is new. It wasn't supposed to be there, and then WHAM! My mind thought of some interesting way to involve the characters more and add some more humor to this shindig. **

**I should let you know, the timing is a while before Roxas, but Dex knows what's up. She's involved, and will continue to be involved for a while. That being said, this story starts around the time that Sora begins his real journey. So there's a lot of time to cover, and it will be a huge challenge I'm hoping I'll be able to conquer. **

**Anyway, reviews are manna for writers, so keep it coming. **

**Till next time!**


	4. Initiation

**YES! MILESTONE #2! Oh, God. . . I did it. . .**

**So, I have been awfully caught up with life and school, and frankly, I put writing on the back burner. I also suffered from a severe bout of writer's block. But I did it. I finished one more chapter of this. **

**For the record, this is where I usually give up for stories that I think are bad. Or, stories in general. Just the fact that I'm pushing through is more than an accomplishment for me. Like I said, it's a milestone. **

**I only have one more milestone to go before I'm back on track. **

**Disclaimer: I have the sole rights to my OC and only my OC. Kingdom Hearts and everything therein is not mine. **

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

4\. Initiation

Dex raised a skeptical brow. "Initiation?"

Xigbar chuckled. "Yup. Initiation into the 'fun' group.

She pursed her lips. So her intuition about Xigbar approving Axel's mischief developed into participating.

She started with, "Why me?"

"Because," Xigbar began, standing from the crate that acted as his seat. "I saw the way you fought today. You enjoyed it."

"As did you," Dex shot back with narrowed eyes.

Xigbar smirked wickedly, and stretched out his arms sideways. "And here I am," he said, and dropped his arms.

Dex pressed her lips together. He had a point. "Was there anything else that made you decide I was someone for the 'fun' team?" she asked, though not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Xigbar chuckled. "Yeah, you like playing with your enemy, like a predator plays with its food."

Dex frowned. She tried to hide that part of herself from prying eyes, from any eyes really, but she supposed that going into battle sparked that savagery she usually expressed in combat.

Her eyes met all three of the men's in that room. And again, they were caught on Axel's, where she remained there for a moment. He studied her in a way that made her feel exposed, like he could see everything that she was trying to hide. She made sure her expression remained neutral.

She considered her options. There weren't many. Not joining them meant boring afternoons or days off, if she got any. Joining meant fun, but also trouble and eyes always watching her.

Ultimately, she'd rather enjoy herself than sit around and do nothing, even if it meant she had to be more careful.

She looked back to Xigbar. "Very well. I'll join."

Xigbar's victory smirk was almost predatory. "Good," he announced, and Demyx and Axel relaxed as well, though while Demyx's

smile was friendly and open as he jumped up to pat her on the back, Axel's was intrigued.

"First things first," Xigbar continued. "You need to go through initiation."

"Ah yes. Why I'm here in the first place."

Xigbar chuckled, then pulled a list out from his pocket and handed it to her. She took it, eyeing Xigbar warily. He watched her, eyes narrowed.

Her eyes found the paper and she skimmed its contents. It was a list:

—One of Larxene's undergarments

—One of Marluxia's hair care products

—One of Luxord's whisky bottles

—Demyx's Knights of the Old Abyss album

—Axel's aloe vera

—Saïx's token

—Zexion's lexicon

—Lexaeus's Guard Badge

—Vexen's data storage device

—One of Xaldin's cutlery knives

—Xigbar's eyepatch

—Xemnas's personal files

Dex raised a brow. There were so many questionable things on this list, and all seemed to be highly personal.

"What's Saïx's token?" she asked, eyes flitting back up to meet the others'. Xigbar looked to Axel. She frowned minutely. Why would Axel know about Saïx's token? Were they friends in the past?

"Saïx wears a necklace that has a carved moon at the end. He doesn't want anyone to see it, so it's hidden underneath his cloak," Axel answered.

She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side. "And you expect me to somehow take it off his person?" she questioned, incredulous.

Axel chuckled. "Preferably without him noticing."

"And how do you suppose I do that?"

Axel shrugged and stepped forward, a wicked smirk on his face that sent a pleasant tingle down her spine.

"That," he said, "Is entirely up to you."

She sighed at his evasiveness. Her eyes found Demyx's. He was smiling a friendly smile at her, so unperturbed by all this. She vaguely wondered if _he_ went through a form of initiation. Considering the other two men in the room—probably. She briefly wondered how _that_ day went.

Xigbar interrupted her thoughts by slinging an arm over her shoulder.

"Relax, you'll do fine," he tried to reassure, though Dex wondered what it was that made him think she was nervous. "You have an hour to get everything."

She looked at him and smirked.

"I'd better go, then. I'll be back in twenty," she said and pulled the darkness around her and fell into it, letting it envelop her.

No one could tell her that she didn't know how to make a dramatic exit.

She hesitated. Curiosity slithered into her mind and made her pause.

Xigbar was observant. What had he seen? What did he see that she was trying to hide? Was he just curious about her? Or was there something that he was trying to find specifically?

And why the hell was he challenging her to take his eyepatch? It was like he was blatantly daring her to try something against him. No, he _was_ blatantly daring her. He wanted her to show off, to see what she could do.

But why bring the other two into it? Actually, no. Why bring _Axel_ into it? Demyx seemed to just be there as a passive party. But Axel... Axel was just as observant. Maybe even more so than Xigbar. Something about him screamed that he could see everything about her, though she knew it wasn't true.

So, she was curious. She opened the shadows of the room and their voices filtered into the darkness.

* * *

Xigbar smirked, having sat back down and looked to Axel, whose eyes were narrowed as he stared at the spot that Dex had just been occupying.

Neither had seen darkness react to someone in the way that it had to Dex, nor had they seen someone control it the way that she did.

"So," Xigbar drawled. "What do you think?"

Axel was silent for a moment.

"I think I'm hungry," Demyx said, standing and making to walk out of the room.

Xigbar took Demyx's shoulder and pushed him back down into his seat. Demyx pouted, but resigned to stay situated.

"She isn't human," Was all Axel said. Xigbar chuckled.

"Neither are we," he responded.

Axel shook his head. "No, she isn't a human's Nobody," he said quietly.

Xigbar was silent for a moment: he stared at the younger member curiously, and observed his expression and stance. Axel stood with straight posture, his arms crossed over his chest, head tilted to the side at an acute angle, eyes narrowed scrupulously and staring into the distance where No. 0 had just disappeared.

"What makes you say that?" Xigbar asked, a curious smirk working its way onto his face.

Axel gave a small shrug. "It's merely conjecture. The darkness responds to different creatures differently. If she were a human's Nobody, the darkness would've reacted the way it does to us. But it didn't, so she must not be human." Axel's eyes met Xigbar's one, and his hands moved to rest on his hips. They stared at each other for a moment.

"It seems too simple an explanation," Xigbar countered, shaking his head, and chuckled as though he was playing devil's advocate.

Axel shrugged again. "Sometimes the simplest answers are the correct ones."

Demyx groaned in irritation. "I don't get it," he said, scratching his head. "Why does it matter anyway? I thought we were just trying—"

"Xemnas wants us to observe her. I'm sure he already came to the conclusion that she's a little more different than we think, otherwise she wouldn't be Number 0," Xigbar explained, tone serious despite his amused expression.

"She's intelligent, so we'll have to be careful," Axel agreed.

Demyx's lips pursed as he glanced between the two older Nobodies. "I still don't get it." Xigbar shook his head, chuckling, while Axel rolled his eyes. "Do you think she'll be able to do it in twenty minutes?"

The older Nobodies' eyes met again.

"I said I'd be back in twenty, not that I'd be _done_ in twenty," her voice resonated in the small room and the deeper darkness opened. While all three, straightened in surprise, eyes going wide ,watching as their newest comrade stepped into the room with some of the listed items in her arms. Onto the makeshift table, she haphazardly dropped the items with a clatter.

Inquisitive, yet suspicious, the three Organization members looked over what she was able to find.

She'd gotten all but three items.

* * *

Dex almost let out a whistle of appreciation when she heard Axel's reason for why she wasn't a human's Nobody, and then a groan of frustration.

He was _ridiculously _observant.

She picked up the last item that was the most convenient—Axel's aloe vera, something she figured he used quite often, considering his affinity for fire—as the two Nobody men reached the tail-end of their conversation. Well, it was the tail-end because she arrived. What was that saying about eavesdropping again?

When she dropped the items on the table, Axel's and Xigbar's eyes widened a fraction, and Demyx's by a lot.

Xigbar let out a low appreciative whistle.

She shrugged. "Those were almost too easy. All I need is Saïx's token, your eyepatch, and Xemnas's files."

"_How _did you get all this so quickly?" Demyx asked in amazement as he inspected the stuff that was there.

"That is a good question." Axel narrowed his eyes at her, scanning her up and down. She willed herself not to blush, a response she thought she'd lost with her heart.

When his eyes met hers, she remained cool and shrugged. Xigbar was going through the pile, sorting it, it seemed, when she held out her hand in front of him, outstretched fingers and palm toward the ceiling.

Xigbar's eye stared at her hand and his brow ticked upward. He directed his gaze back to hers.

"Your eyepatch, please."

Both brows went up at this, and the two other men stared on in shock.

"You expect me to just give it to you?" His tone was skeptical, but a playful smirk made its way to his face.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I could just take it when you're not paying attention, but that would be rude, since, of course, you're sitting right there. But I expect you'll give it to me anyway."

He leaned back in his seat and inspected her with his eye.

"And why is that?"

She shrugged. "Why'd you bring me here in the first place? Why'd you give me an initiation? It's not really a test that I'm trying to pass, so…"

She wiggled her outstretched fingers with a brow raised.

Xigbar examined her for a moment longer before visibly consenting by rolling his shoulders forward to get rid of tension and smirking at her before reaching behind his head and untying the patch.

Dex didn't pay much attention to the scar behind the patch, but she couldn't help but glance at it as he revealed it. It was pretty grotesque. She understood why he hid it.

He could have just dropped the patch to the pile as a form of a light, "fuck you," but he didn't. In a surprising show of respect, he placed the patch in her hand. Her fingers enclosed it and she pulled it to herself with a small grin of respect, and then handed it back in one smooth motion, presenting the eyepatch to its owner in an open palm.

He looked surprised. All of them did. He chuckled and took it back, tying it around his head.

She could feel Axel's gaze on her more fully. She glanced at him, and his dubious, suspicious glare could've burned holes in her head.

"Alright, you've got Xemnas's files and Saïx's token. How do you wanna do this?"

She didn't even have to think about it. "Xemnas's files first. Just tell me where they are and I'll get them."

"That's the problem," Axel interjected suddenly, drawing her stare.

"We don't know where they are." Xigbar finished.

_Right._ Of course. Xemnas's personal files _would_ be hidden.

"Then why are you having me find them?" She asked with mild consternation.

"Don't think you're up to it?" Axel baited with a smirk on his face that confused Dex. Seriously, what kind of look was this in this context? She blinked once and answered him.

"Well, if it's impossible to find, why bother?"

"Because it's not impossible. You've just proven that you can find anything in minutes. Why should this be any different?" Xigbar retorted with a raised brow and leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because he's the boss."

Xigbar's smirk seemed to stiffen.

"She has a really good point," Demyx said .

Xigbar shook his head. "He's a Nobody, just like us. There's not much of a difference."

"It's enough of a difference," she countered. "And since he's the boss, he's the strongest, and I'm pretty sure he can sense our energy traces."

"Our what?" Demyx asked, and the other two members echoed his question with confused and curious looks.

Dex's eyes glanced over the Nobodies' faces. "Never mind. I'll do it. But I'll probably get caught, and I'll throw you under the bus," she said, pointing at Xigbar.

He laughed and nodded. "Fair deal." With amusement, he stood and started to walk forward.

She frowned, "What are you doing?"

"I want to watch," he explained as though that should've been obvious.

She raised her brows. "Uh, no. No, you're not."

"Why not?"

_Because I'm not taking the Corridor of Darkness_. "Because he'll detect your energy trace a lot easier than mine. Just stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He shrugged, hands outstretched. "Very well." He plopped back down into his seat.

"I'll be right back," she repeated before pulling her own darkness around her and fell into it, avoiding the Corridor altogether, using her energy to pull her in the direction where Xemnas's energy trace was the strongest.

Her darkness was a little rowdy, fidgety. It stuck really close to her in a way that reminded her of wet clothes sticking to her skin (not unlike the feeling of the Realm of Darkness, but heavliy stifling). She could feel it probing for something she didn't have anymore.

"It's not there," she whispered into the blackness.

It seemed to understand, but constricted around her further, like it was trying to keep her pieced together. She internally acknowledged the shift as the darkness was acting according to her own self-preservative instincts.

When she approached the office, her darkness barely let her open a window to see her target. Frustrated by her subconsciousness's reluctance, she closed it again and invaded the office with her dark energy.

She searched, letting her darkness invade the office space, filling every nook with her energy until she found something that felt like what she was looking for; they were files, and though Xemnas had many, many files, these were placed in a separate drawer in the wall.

She moved to them through her darkness, opening up a window big enough to slide her darkness over and around the files she needed. The moment she grabbed them, she bolted back to the initiation closet.

She opened a window and stepped through into the room, separating the darkness from herself. The others looked like they were in the middle of a conversation she probably should've eavesdropped. They zeroed in on her immediately.

Instead of giving comment she tossed the files onto the makeshift table.

"We're never doing this again. And as soon as you're done with those files, they're going back," she told them, voice firm.

They all blinked at her, and Xigbar grinned wickedly.

"Is that so?" He challenged.

"I would get to reading what you want out of those files before I take them back." She crossed her arms over her chest.

After a moment of glaring back and forth at each other, Xigbar opened the file and flipped through the pages.

He tossed it back at her after a solid three minutes of impatient silence.

And she tossed it into her darkness, using its momentum to slide it through into its original spot.

"It was all stuff you already knew, wasn't it?" she asked.

Xigbar gave her a withering look. "You figure out how you're going to get Saïx's token?"

She pursed her lips, considering him with narrowed eyes.

"I think so," she said. The men reeled back in surprise and Xigbar opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "It's not a perfect plan yet. The biggest problem I'll face, obviously, will be getting it without him noticing. It's not impossible, but it'll take a ridiculous amount of concentration."

"Why? Why are you going to do?" Demyx asked, all innocent curiosity.

She debated telling him, but decided that a demonstration was in order. So, she took a breath, and sat down, crossing her legs, keeping her back straight, but relaxed and closed her eyes, calling the darkness to respond to her whim.

Brows furrowed in extreme concentration, she used her darkness's swirling energy to find Saïx's energy trace, to get a decent image of him. Using what Axel had told her, she gently reached out for the hidden chain around his neck, the tendrils of darkness mirroring the way her own fingers moved as she lifted her arm and outstretched her hand.

Gently, she closed her fist and pulled.

* * *

Saïx paced the great halls of The Castle That Never Was on his way to his quarters. He was exhausted. He refused to show it, but he could feel the last dregs of his energy slowly drain away as he walked. He didn't think Xemnas knew how much the work load given really took out of him. Not that he really minded, and he didn't think Xemnas really cared either.

He paused when he heard laughter. The noise was grating to his ears, especially when he realized that he recognized the two if the three voices that were currently engaged in frivolous conversation. He caught a glimpse of the group as they rounded the corner, disappearing from sight, but voices reverberating off the walls, echoing back to him.

It was Xigbar and Demyx for sure. He hated both: Xigbar for being conniving and Demyx for being lazy and unmotivated. He caught a glimpse of Axel's bright red mass of spikes, but he knew what his laugh sounded like and that he didn't laugh much anymore. Maybe let a derisive chuckle every now and again.

The third voice was soft, demure, yet confident in tone. Melodic. No. 0's to be sure. Her laughter inspired ire in him, partially because she was grouping with a bunch of trouble makers, and partially because her laughter made his heartless body forget he was heartless, if only for a moment.

He would inform her later to stay away from troublemakers like Xigbar and Demyx. And especially Axel, who was particularly mischievous and served as the Organization's dog. To say he did the dirty work was an understatement.

Saïx stepped into his room. He noticed the envelope resting on his pillow immediately. When he approached, he noticed it was addressed to him in neat, elegant writing. whatever was inside had decent weight, and sounded metallic as it slid around in the paper.

He opened the envelope and slid the trinket into his palm.

A growl rose deep from his chest. He felt his fangs elongate.

Now, he knew what those ingrates were doing with the newest member.

Profoundly irritated, he tore out the note that accompanied his stolen token.

It read:

_We found this on the floor in one of the hallways. Axel informed me it was yours. _

_~No. 0_

He sighed, letting the anger fade. He knew the note was a lie. But at least the newest member had the common courtesy to return what was his.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**So, this is where I move into the perspectives of the other members. We kinda got the idea that she's different, and now the members suspect that she's not a human's Nobody. But neither the audience, nor the Organization, knows what she is, or what she's doing there. **

**Fortunately, I do know where I'm going; it's the execution that's going to be difficult.**

**FOREWARNING!**

**I will be switching to a sort of one-shot-esque type of writing for a while since I got the beginning out of the way. That should clear me up for posting a lot of little chapters, in which the Organization observes the newest member.**

**This should be interesting...**

**Anyway, how'd you like this chapter? Any mistakes? Any OOCness?**

**Let me know in reviews and I'll do my best to fix them.**

**Till next time! :P**


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